After another dominant performance last weekend at the Wolfpack Open, the Virginia wrestling team looks to perpetuate its early season success this weekend as it travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to compete in the Cornell Body Bar Invitational. The event will mark the Cavaliers' second tournament of the season and features a multitude of top programs, including Cornell, Minnesota, Kent State, Binghamton, Buffalo and Army.
"The tournament this weekend is arguably the toughest we're going to go to," Virginia coach Steve Garland said. "There are five to six teams alone that are in the top 25 that we're going to be competing against, so the competition is pretty fierce."
Last Sunday in Raleigh, the Cavaliers (2-0) appeared in eight of 10 weight class championships, winning five of them. In addition to claiming titles at the event, all five Cavalier champions also notched undefeated records. Redshirt junior Matt Snyder put forth a strong effort in his season debut, while redshirt senior Matt Nelson competed in his first tournament in nearly five years.
Still, the Cavaliers wrestlers are wary of concentrating too intently on bygone accomplishments and hope to remain focused on refining their technique as the season continues to progress.
"I need to get into the close matches to really get ready for the NCAA Tournament," redshirt freshman Nick Sulzer said. "[And] as a team, we're looking to continue to improve. I don't think that anything we do will really affect how we do in March; that's what we're really wrestling for."
This season, Virginia scheduled multiple tournaments early in the season to prepare for the grueling postseason tournaments. Wrestling multiple matches in a day takes a toll on an athlete's body, and the Cavaliers want to earn as much experience as possible in such demanding conditions.
"I'm not used to wrestling four matches in one day, so on the body it was a little taxing," redshirt sophomore Jon Fausey said. "There's a lot of improvement that can be gained from this past weekend all the way until March. It's a small part of the big picture."
Garland believes this weekend's tournament will be a suitable measuring stick for where the squad currently stands and what issues need to be addressed before Virginia's headliner match against Virginia Tech at John Paul Jones Arena Nov. 27.
"That's how you find out where you are as a program, by competing with the best," Garland said. "Virginia Tech is ranked No. 12 in the country. So when you go back-to-back with them, you're going to find out what you're made of"
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